Predictors of preference for caesarean delivery among pregnant women in Beijing

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors associated with preference for caesarean or vaginal delivery among pregnant Chinese nulliparous and parous women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, preference/reasons for delivery mode, and knowledge of delivery complications. RESULTS: Of the 450 participants, 85 (18.9%) reported a preference for caesarean section (CS) pre-partum. Compared with women who would prefer a vaginal delivery, nulliparous women who preferred CS were more likely to be: ≥35 years; have no medical insurance; have had two or more pregnancies; have access to only one source of information about birthing options; knowledge of the complications of vaginal delivery and think doctors have no right to decide the type of delivery. For parous women who preferred CS, they were more likely to have had a previous caesarean delivery and live outside Beijing. CONCLUSIONS: From this study conducted at a large, maternity centre in Beijing, the proportion of pregnant women with preference pre-partum for CS was moderate and their reasons were varied.